Automatic painting or liquid-coating machine.



' PATENTED AUG. 23, 1904. 0. s. MILLS. AUTOMATIC PAINTING QR LIQUIDCOATING MACHINE.

APPLIOATIOKVIILED 001214. 1903.

N0 MODEL.

w avwenfoz No. 768,293. PATENTED AUG. 23, 1904.

0. s. MILLS.

AUTOMATIG PAINTING OR LIQUID COATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION nun 001-14, 1903. no MODEL.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

P ATENTED AUG. 23, 1904.

. x 0. s. MILLS.

AUTOMATIC PAINTING 0R LIQUID COATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION rILnn 00114. 1903.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

no MODEL.

' UNITED STATES Patented August 23, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

OLIVER s. MILLs, OF BUELL, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE wALwoRTH & NEVILLEMANUFACTURING COMPANY, or BAY CITY, MICHIGAN, A

. CORPORATION.

AUTOMATIC PAINTING OR LIQUID-COATING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Iatent No. 768,293, dated. August23 1904.

Application filed October 14, 1303. Serial No. 177,074. (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLIVER S. MILLS, a citi- Zen of the United States,residing at Buell, in the county of Norfolk and State of Virginia, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Painting orLiquid-(loating Machines; and I declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

, My invention relates to machinery for automatically painting timber,more particularly 'to cross-arms for electric-light, telephone, andtelegraph poles, though Iam not confined to such uses, as my machinewill paint any material and of a great many shapes by adjusting thewidth of the openings and the size and form of the brushes. In mymachine I am enabled to correctly vary the amount of paint orliquid-coating composition, thereby regulating the thickness of thecoat. I am also enabled to prevent waste of paint by re' moving theexcess and returning it to reservoirs or tanks fromwhich the brushes gettheir supply, as will be hereinafter described.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a' showing the receiving end forthe work to be painted, which is fed into the machine by means of liverolls, as will be hereinafter deseribedl Fig. 8 is a side and thevertical shafts 30 and 34. The shaft 5 also drives the cone-pulleys 9and 9 and with them the shaft 8, which. in turn drives the brush-Wheel48,- Figs. 2 and 3. The shaft 5 also has another pulley (shown in Fig. 2at49) connected to a source of power by the belt 50 and drives thepulley 7 and shafts 5, 30, and

34, which turn .the brush-wheels 31 and 33. The pulley 49 also drivesbevel-wheels 16 and 17 at the frontor discharging end of the machine bymeans of the shaft 47 and gears 46.

10 is a shaft driven by the pulley 11, Fig. l, which rotates the flangedvertical wheel 20. I

12 is a shaft driving the two bevel or angular wheels 14 and 15 at therear or receiving end of the machine by means of the pulley 13. 16 and17 are bevel-face wheels like those at 14 and 15 and have angular facesor edges. (Shown in an enlarged scale in Fig. 6 at 63.) Thesebevel-Wheels are placed both vertically and horizontally, as shown inFig. 1, one of which is placedon each side of the piece of timber orother material, as shown at 45, Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, which passesbetween them and the brush-wheels. I place the bevel-wheels and theirangular portion outside, as shown,

the flat sides of which are next to the work to be painted, as indicatedin Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4. The bevel of the wheels form an incline fromtheir outside surface to the piece to be coated, so as to more easilytransfer the paint adhering to the wheels to the beam by means of thebrushes 31 on the wheels 31, 32,v 33, and 48, which wipe the paint ofithe bevels and apply the j paint to the surface to be coated. Thebevel-wheels are either more or less submerged in paint reservoirs ortanks, as at 52, or get the necessary amount of paint by contact'withthe vertical flanged wheels,

one of which is shown at 20 and upon a large scale in Fig. 5. In Fig. 5the bevel or angular wheel 16 either touches the wheel 20 or is a verysmall fraction of an inch from it. In

this manner the paint or liquid-coating com position adhering to theface or edge 59 of the wheel is transferred to the bevel 63 of theangular wheel 16 by means of the scraper or paint-regulating device 21.The lower bevelwheel 17 is] supplied from the face of the flange 58 in asimilar manner. The brush wheels 31, 32, 33, and 48 supply their brushes31 by rotating and wiping the paint from the bevel edges of the wheels14, 15, 16, and 17 as they turn and having more or less paint adheringto them. 1 cause the brush-wheels 31, 32, 33, and 48 to revolve fasterthan the bevel-wheels in order to more properly regulate the quantity ofpaint transferred to the brushes and to prevent an unequal distributionby the bevel-wheels. I accomplish this by means of the cone-pulleys 6and 9, by which I am enabled to vary the speed by shifting the belt onone of the steps of the pulleys to make the shaft run faster or slower.The variation in speed of the brush and bevel wheels and the properregulation of same depends on the size of the article to be painted.

In order to regulate the amount of paint to the bevel-wheels, andconsequently the thickness of the coat, I provide adjustable scrapers orregulators 23 and 25, as shown in plan in Fig. 1, also an enlarged viewin Figs.

6, 7, and 8. Fig. 6 is a plan of the scrapers on the bevel-wheels. Thescraper or lug 23 has a rod 27 passing loosely through it, provided witha screw-thread workingin a block or fixed nut with 28, placed upon thereservoir or tank 52 or other convenient point. The paint adhering tothe revolving wheels is varied by moving the scraper 23 in or outbetween the limits shown by the full lines at 23 and the dotted lines61. By turning the hand-wheel 60 the scraper is thrown in or out,exposing more or less of the bevel, and consequently the paint-surface,of the wheel. In Fig. 6 the full lines at 23 show only a small unscrapedsurface, while by moving the scraper or regulator 23 in, as shown by thedotted lines, it is increased. Hence the brushes receive a greaterquantity of the liquid-coating composition than they do when the scraperis nearer the edge of the wheel. Fig. 7 is a front view of Fig. 6 inperspective, showing the scraper on the angular surface of thebevel-wheel. The scrapers 24 and 25 in Fig. l are shown on an enlargedscalein Figs. 6 and 8. These scrapers are for the purpose of preventingan accumulation of paint on the shafts of the wheels and the backs ofthe bevel-wheels, the clogging of which would prevent an easy passage ofthe piece to be coated between them, as shown at 45 in Figs. 3 and 4.

20 is a flanged wheel supplying the bevelwheels with paint when they arenot partly submerged in the composition contained in the reservoirs ortanks 22 and 52, Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 5 shows a part edge view of theflanged wheel 20, also the bevel-Wheel 16, the flanged wheel 20extending a short distance above the angular surface of the wheel 16, asshown.

The paint is removed from the flanged wheel by means of the scraper 21on the tread or smallest diameter of the wheel 21), as at 59. The flangeor larger diameter of the wheel supplies the lower bevel-wheel 17, Fig.1, by a similar arrangement. The scraper 21 is adjusted by means ofslots, as at 56 in Fig. 5, and is secured in the proper position by thescrew 55. The dotted lines 57 show the scraper elevated to its highestpoint when not in use.

21, Fig. 1, shows a modification, the scraper being projected over thewheel by an arm, as shown.

22 and 52 are paint reservoirs or tanks, the paint-level line beingapproximately shown at 52 in Fig. 2. These tanks can be raised orlowered to admit of submerging the wheels 14, 15, 16, 17, and 20 to amore or less extent.

26 and 27 in Fig. 1 are the scraper-adjusting screws. (Shown on a largerscale in Fig. 6.)

29 represents hoods placed over the brushwheels in order to prevent thepaint from be.- ing wasted or thrown off by centrifugal force. Thedrippings of the paint are returned to the reservoirs or tanks bysuitable means. The hoods cover all the brush-wheels; but in thedrawings two only are shown.

31, 32, 33, and 48 in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and -1-are rotary brush-wheels. Thebrushes 31 are socured to the body by means of screws and are placedtangent to the cylindrical centers or wheels. The brushes may be of anyconvenient number and can be extended in or out to suit the size of thepiece to be coated or entirely removed, as desired. The brush-wheels 31,32, 33, and 48 can be raised or lowered by means of the screws 38,carrying a block through which the shaft 3 passes, the whole working ina slot in the frame 44. By this means the strokes of the brushes andalso the amount of paint applied can be regulated when the machine is inoperation.

35 and 54 are feed or live rolls in the frame or yoke 36 at the back orreceiving end of the machine for passing the beam to be painted betweenthe wheels and brushes in the direc- 64 is the base of the scraper 25 inFigs. 6

and 8.

As shown and as already described, there are one or more brush-wheelsfor each side of the piece to be painted if it is of a squarecrosssection, as shown at 45 in Figs. 3 and 4. 1f

the workto becoated is of any othershape, .I can alter the form and theextent of contact of the. brushes, so that the paint is applied upon allsides at once. I prefer the angle of .the bevel-wheels 14, 15, 16, and17 to be about fifteen degrees, though it may vary according tocircumstances. I generally cause the bevel-wheels to turn at forty andthe brushwheels at one hundred revolutions per minute.

I am not confined to the precise construction as indicated inthedrawings, as I can modify the form to suit the shape and size of thepiece to be painted without departing from the matter herein describedand claimed. I am not also confined to the painting of timber such ascross-arms for telegraph-poles and the like, as my machine is equallyadapted for painting and coating metal work, such as structural iron,pipe, cornices, sheet metal, and other material.

.Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent,

1s 1. In a painting or liquid-coating machine, the combination of aplurality of horizontal and vertical bevel or angular edge paint-feedingwheels, and rotary detachable brushes re-' ceiving the paint from theangular surface of the bevel-wheels, the said wheels being partlyimmersed in and supplying varying quantities:

- ries of vertical and horizontal bevel-face paintcarrying and brushfeeding-wheels surround ing the piece to be coated, and vertical andpartly-submerged flanged wheels for supplying the said bevel-wheels withthe paint, and detachable movable reservoirs or tanks for partlysubmerging and feeding the said bevel and flanged wheels, as they rotatetherein, as described. r

4. In a machine for liquid-coating or painting, the combination ofbevel-face brush feeding wheels, and flanged wheels partly submerged inand supplying the paint thereto near their edge or face, the saidflange-wheelsS being at right angles to and touching the bevel-wheels,the said Wheelssurroundingthe work to be painted or coated, anddetachable paint reservoirs or tanks for partly submerging the saidwheels, as described.

5. In a paint-coating machine the combination of bevel-edge brushfeeding-wheels surrounding the work to be painted and vertical flangedWheels partly submerged and feeding the said bevel-wheels above andbelow its axis and near'the faces thereof, and, paint reservoirsor tanks1n which the sa1d wheels ro,

tate, and horizontal and vertical adjustable rotary brushes receivingthe paint from the angular surface of the said bevel-wheelsandtransferring it to the said brushes as they ro tate, as described. 7

- 6. Inapainting-machinethecombinationof bevel-edge brushfeeding-wheels, and flangewheels joining the said bevel-wheels and sup:

plying them with the paint as they rotate when partly submerged in theliquid-coating composition, a tank for supplying the said composition.to the wheels while immersed therein, and horizontal and verticaladjustable rotary brush-wheels, and detachable and adjustable brushes inthe said brush-wheels receiving the paint from the face or angle edge ofthe said bevel-wheels and applying the paint to the material to becoated, and

- means for increasing and decreasing the rotative speed'of the saidbrush and bevel wheels to regulate the paint-supply, as described.

'7. In a paint-coating machine, the combination of horizontal andvertical abutting bevel and flanged wheels surrounding all sides of thework to be paintedor coated, a tank or reservoir for submerging a partof one or more of the said wheels and adjustable detachable brush wheelscarrying'thev adhering paint from the angular portion of thebevel-wheels 'to the material to be painted as they rotate,

means for'varying the speed of the rotary.

8. 'Ina painting-machine the combination ofbevel-facebrusl1-feedingwheels and v'erti cal flanged wheels rotatingwith and supplying the said bevel-wheels with the paint, means for moreor less submerging the said flanged Wheels in the paint, and reservoirsor tanks for-supplying the said paint to the wheels when immersed, andadjustable brushes for applying the paint, means" for rotating the saidbrushes against the angular part ofthe bevelwheels and coating thematerial, on all sides with the paint, means for causing a difference ofrotative speed of the brushes and bevelwheels for varying the paintadhering thereto, and adjustable scrapers or knives on the angular faceof the bevel-wheels and on the edges IIO of the flanged wheels forregulating the thickness of the coat to the material to be painted, andmeans for automatically feeding thework to be painted between the saidwheels and the brushes, as described.

9. In a painting or liquid-coating machine,- the Tcombination'. ofvertical and horizontal bevel-edge brushfeedingwheels, and flangedwheels for supplying paint to the said angular or bevel Wheels, anddetachable movable reservoirs or tanks for holding the paint-supply, andpartly submerging the rotating wheels therein, and rotary adjustable anddetachable brushes for Wiping the paint from the angular face or edge ofthe bevel-Wheels and applying the paint on all sides of the material tobe coated, means for variably rotating the said paint and the thicknessol the coat, means ol adjusting the said brush and bevel wheels to theshape of the Work to be painted, and means for removing the excess ofpaint from the wvheels and material to be painted and return ing thesame to the reservoirs or tanks, substantially as described.

in testimony whereof I have hereunto a1- iixed my signature in thepresence of two \vitnesses.

OLIVER S. MILLS. \Vitnesses:

GEO. B. h'lACCUBBIN, JAs. S. HALL.

